"It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean." --- John Locke ---

Friday, May 06, 2005

Frigate Bird May 6, 1962 23:30 (GMT)

On this date in 1962 the USS Ethan Allen SSBN 608 conducted the only operational test and detonation of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM). The name of that test was "Frigate Bird".Frigate Bird Test (Source: US DOE)

The USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) launched a Polaris missile in the afternoon of May 6 1962 towards the Christmas Islands in Eastern Micronesia. The warhead went down range approximately 1,100 miles before re-entering the atmosphere 12 to 13 minutes later. The 600-kiloton airburst occurred at 11,000 feet above 4° 50' North, 149° 25' West . The DOE website has a file film download page of the Frigate Bird test.USS Ethan Allen SSBN 608 (Source: US Navy)

The Frigate Bird test was part of a the largest U.S. Nuclear testing operation ever conducted, Operation Dominic, with 36 atmospheric tests at the Pacific Proving Grounds.

I also liked this quote:"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. " Frank ZappaHad any good North Korean beer lately?